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A great football club.

Manchester united are one of the biggest and best football clubs in the world. There are alot of football fans of other clubs out there who love to hate manchester united and presume every united fan is a 'fake' or a 'plastic' fan which is annoying to us real fans. Unless you are a manchester united fan, nobody really understands what its like to be a fan of this great club. Manchester united are a very family orientated club, very friendly and it is always an experience when you visit Old Trafford. Theres nothing better than walking within the sea of people heading towards the stadium and feeling the atmosphere building. Everytime you walk in the stadium and take your seat, no matter how many times you have been, you still get that 'wow' moment. United fans have been very privileged over recent years while Sir Alex Ferguson has been in charge, seen some great players and have won almost everything you can think of. Seen players such as, becks, scholes, giggs, cantona, schmeichel, ronaldo etc and the current crop of star players such as rooney, Robin van Persie, vidic, rio, valencia etc..Never had a lack of talent in the squads, which always makes for a good showing. Even having the glazers a running the club doesnt hinder the club of any success. Yes i am biased but I would recommend that if anybody gets the chance to visit Old Trafford that they do. The tour of the ground and the museum is a great insight into the clubs history but nothing beats match day!! GGMU (Glory Glory Man United).

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Love United, Hate Glazer.

When you think of football, where ever you are in the world, Manchester United is one of the first names that comes to mind. They are the most famous team in the world and its no surprise when you think of the players they have attracted over the years.

Manchester United play their home games at Old Trafford, also know as the Theatre of Dreams. It can hold over 70,000 people and is the biggest stadium in the premier league which is over 10,000 more than the next biggest stadium, the Emirates stadium of Arsenal.

The clubs manager is Sir Alex Ferguson and has been there for over 20years, he is the longest serving manager in the premier league. He is also the oldest at 68years old.The most successful manager, the longest serving manager, only manager to win the treble. These are some of the phrases that come to mind when Sir Alex Ferguson is mentioned.

The club was founded in 1878 by the name of Newton Heath LYR F.C.They joined the football league in 1892.

Since then, there have been many events in the clubs history that will never be forgotten, both good and bad.

On the 6th of February 1958, a plane carrying players and officials crashed while trying to take of in Munich, Germany.The crash claimed the lives of 8 of United's players and 3 members of staff.This was during the Busby years, the players at the time were known as the Busby babes because of Busby's use of his youth players.During the 60's, Busby rebuilt his team with signings like Dennis Law and youth players breaking in to the first team like George Best.Then in 1968 Manchester United became the first English team in history to win the European Cup, beating Benfica 4-1 in the final. Matt Busby resigned as manager the following season.

The most successful season in the clubs history was in 1998-1999 season by becoming the first English team to win the treble. The Premier League, The F.A. Cup and the UEFA Champions League were the trophies they won.In the final of the Champions league, they were 1-0 down and in injury time and the club made one of the greatest comebacks in the competitions history.2 late goals from Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer won the trophy for them.

Ryan Giggs made his 759th appearance for united in 2008 and broke Bobby Charlton's attendance record.

Manchester United has 3 main rivals, Manchester City, Liverpool and Leeds United. They also have a rivalry with Arsenal, due to close encounters with the title and the on pitch rivalry with Roy Keane and Patrick Viera.

In 2005, Malcolm Glazer bought the club for about £800million and plunged the club in to almost £700million of debt.This has proved very unpopular with the fans.The fans have been seen protesting against the Glazer family, demanding that they sell the club. The fans have been seen wearing yellow and green scarves in protest, which are the original colours of the clubs old name, Newton Heath LYR F.C.There have been a number of protests outside the ground and the training ground, with the chants "Love United Hate Glazer" and "We Want Glazer Out".

It is because of all these things that Manchester United are known world wide as one of the best teams in the world.

LUHG

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Interesting times lie ahead for Man Utd

Manchester United have emerged as one of the best supported teams in the world and one of the most profitable to. Each generation has seen grand stars appear, going back decades it was of course the brilliant but tragic memories of the Busby babes. Since then the likes of the brilliant welsh winger Giggs, the french artistry of Cantona and the brilliantly talented maestro Ronaldo have burst onto the scene.

However at the end of a victorious premiership campaign last season, Man Utd did the unthinkable and sold their best player in Ronaldo. This was quite a shock for many Man Utd fans as many times last season he had single handed rescued them from games they were in danger of losing or when a match was petering out into a draw he would strike with flashes of brilliance.

In fairness to Man Utd the decision was truly out of their hands since he had already expressed a deep desire to move to Real Madrid. So when the inevitable offer came in from Real, 80 million was just too good an offer for the club to turn down. Since then Man Utd have bought Antonio Valencia to replace him, himself a very talented Ecuadorian winger bought from Wigan and have sought to try and get the best out of the underachieving Nani.

Of course things are quite rocky for Manchester United right now. Behind the glamour and the prestige there is a colossal debt which has arrived from the Glazer owners using the club as Collateral. It is a precarious situation under which which finances have to be managed extremely carefully indeed. However this is a situation which is out of the control of the players themselves and will have to be resolved internally. The fans though have certainly shown their displeasure and signaled this through wearing the colours of the original team as a strong message of resistance.

Yesterday saw Bayern Munich knocking Man Utd out of the Champions League and it will definitely be a bitter pill to swallow. However anyone who saw that game would have seen that Man Utd dominated and it was a single mistake and an act of petulance which saw them down to ten men and the tide eventually turning against them.

Some people have been predicting this is the end for Man Utd but I think this is nonsense. Starting from the back, Van De Saar will be a big concern as the backup Foster although talented has shown he is suspect with crossing and Kuzack is at best average, therefore a replacement does need to be sought for him.

Elsewhere at right back, Gary Neville is past his best but despite the petulant act of Rafael yesterday, he was until that point outstanding. A great attacking full back who yesterday displayed a defensive quality to his game, he is sure to become the natural successor.

Elsewhere the pairing of Vidic and Ferdinand at centre back, when fully fit and playing together regularly is still very much a formidable partnership. Both read the game brilliantly, are excellent at timing tackles and Vidic in particular is a colossus in the air. At left back the brilliant Evra who is still only 29 is easily the best left back in the premiership.

Where the defence certainly does lack is in strength of depth particularly at centre back. Johhny Evans despite a promising beginning has faded quite badly and seems vulnerable to pacey tricky players.

In midfield Valencia has proved a very capable winger. While not possessing the talent of Ronaldo he is an excellent crosser of the player, is quite pacey, with great drive and energy. Nani on the other wing is starting to show signs of the player Man Utd originally saw before being signed. He is capable of outrageous skill like the back heel he scored yesterday and his consistency which has been a factor in previous years has certainly improved.

Adaptable on both wings is Ji Sung Park who knits play together, has very good tight close control and is full of running. It is this versatility which makes him a vital asset to the club and when fit usually figures strongly on the team sheet.

In the middle of the park, they really have missed Owen Hargreaves, the tough tackling technically gifted energetic centre midfield is unlikely to figure at all this season once again. It could be that his playing days are simply at an end. Also in the middle, Michael Carrick still has a lot to live up to and has simply not proved himself enough for my liking. While his distribution can be excellent, he is very suspect under pressure and has a tendency to dwell on the ball before picking out a pass. It is this indecisiveness which can see the ball being taken from him.

Darren Fletcher is the other main starter in the middle of the field and while I was not convinced with the original hype surrounding him. He has slowly emerged as an absolutely vital player. He has great energy, a terrific tackler with good strength on the ball. However what isn't noted as much is his brilliant range of passes, he is very accurate and technically excellent.

Darren Gibson sits on the periphery at the moment and is still to really establish himself at Old Trafford. However I think this is a matter of time as he is similar type of player to Michael Carrick but much more convincing on the ball and he can really strike a ball with deadly venom and accuracy.

The one player who i haven't really mentioned is Scholes who has been a brilliant midfield dynamo with wonderful footballing skill but that is because at 35, it's likely that next season he won't be in the team too much. Likewise the same really goes for Giggs, both will go down as legends at the club though.

The other problem for Man Utd lies up front because in Rooney the manager Alex Ferguson has an incredibly talented player who is able to pull off the sublime nonchalantly. has great movement and a scoring record this season which few in the world can match. In contrast the other main front man Berbatov while a very gifted player, is very inconsistent, is not a player noted for his movement and simply does not have the same impact on the game.

The problem when Rooney is injured is Berbatov is the only option. Macheda is only very young and while promising is nowhere near the finished article. These are contrary to belief promising times for Man Utd but equally unless they resolve these strength in depth issues there are yet more rocky roads ahead.

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A hugely successful football club and business

Manchester United is one of the biggest brand names in the world with the football club having huge success on the pitch both at home in the English Premier League (also cup competitions) and also internationally thanks to their performances in the Champions League but what is it really all about?

Managed by Sir Alex Ferguson the club has long been proud of its youth setup that has produced some amazing young footballers who have gone on to huge success with the likes of Ryan Giggs, David Beckham, Gary Neville, Phil Neville, Nicky Butt and more being known worldwide for their performances at both club and international level but as is with the trend of world football Manchester United are not scared of spending the money to bring in the talent with some of their bigger purchases including such massive names as Christiano Ronaldo, Jaap Stam, Wayne Rooney, Juan Sebastian Veron, Dimitar Berbatov and Rio Ferdinand that have helped move the club onto that next step in the world stage.The clubs current crop include some of excellent young talents with the likes of Rafael, Antonio Valencia, Nani, Wayne Rooney, Darron Gibson and Macheda who have all been instrumental in helping the club to continue with its recent successes and work their way through the group stages of the Champions League and still be battling for the league title in England despite the loss of Christiano Ronaldo in the summer.

So what makes this club different? With an amazing stadium in Old Trafford and huge worldwide support including India, China, Japan, USA, Australia and South Korea the club has gone from strength to strength and maintained its high standards of commercial stability in hard times.

Currently the club is going through a lot of turmoil currently due to American owners (the Glazer family) who purchased Manchester United a few years ago but rather than use their own money they borrowed in order to make the purchase which has burdened the club with huge amounts of debt and mounting interest causing the debt to be something that is going to be left long after the Glazer family have got bored and moved on. This issue has led to the supporters bringing about the clubs original colours in protest as part of their green and gold campaign and even fans moving on setting up their own club to support in Manchester for the fans.

This club is a true global phenomenon that maintains the high standards seen throughout the clubs history and with an amazing fan base matched in with staff who understand how business works this club looks like it has much more success to come in the future and long may they continue to work hard at brining the best young footballers to the English game.

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The greatest club on earth.

Manchester United are without a doubt the biggest football team in the world, in fact they are probably the biggest sports team in the world. Manchester United is recognised as the most valuable sports team in the world valued at an estimated £1.2 billion. Try typing Manchester in google and see whats top of the suggested entries!!!

Im sure there will be many people that would argue with this but they are also one of the most successful sports teams on the planet. Currently they play in the Barclays premier league and are the most successful team ever to do so by a long way, they are the current champions and are still in with a chance of maintaining rhier crown. They also compete every season at the highest level in europe, the Uefa cahmpions league, which they have reached the final for the previous two years, winning one.

The main thing apart from sucess that sets Manchester United apart from other football clubs is the rich history of the team. From the date they were formed in 1878 as the works team of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway depot at Newton Heath, calling themselves Newton Heath L&YR F.C. They dropped the L&YR in 1983 after registering with the footaball league. The club was days away from bankrupcy in 1902 before being saved by a local brewery owner at the last minute. It was at this time the club name was changed to Manchester United, to signify the fresh start. It was also at this time that the club colours of red, white and black were established. The club then went on to be a yoyo club acheiving promotions and winning trophies fairly regulary as well as being relegated a number of times over the next few years.

The next significant event in the history of Man Utd, and for sure the most defining period of this football club, which im sure we all know of happened on 6 February 1958. The Munich air disaster, when the plane carrying the team home from a European Cup match crashed on take-off at a refuelling stop in Munich, Germany. The accident claimed the lives of eight players - Geoff Bent, Roger Byrne, Eddie Colman, Duncan Edwards, Mark Jones, David Pegg, Tommy Taylor and Liam "Billy" Whelan - and another fifteen passengers, including United staff members Walter Crickmer, Bert Whalley and Tom Curry, many others including Busby were seriously injured during the accident. There is a constant tribute at Old Trafford, with a memorial and the Munich clock. Despite the terrible tragedy, the world was impressed with how United carried on after the disaster, rebuliding the club into the early 1960s, with players such as Cerrand, Law and Best who all went on to become legends at the club. After a short transitional period after the disaster United again soon started challenging for honours.

Since then United have gone from stregnth to strength particulary in the last 15-20 years under Sir Alex Ferguson, arguably the most successful football manager ever. Winning hatfulls of trophies and honours, with many different players who are now known as footballing greats, like Cantona, Scmeichel, Hughes, Beckham, Keane and more recently Rooney and Ronaldo.

Another thing that sets Manchester United apart from other big clubs is thier strong bias towards homegrown youth players, the club has a fantastic academy and a policy of bringing youth players into games gradually to become world class players, some more famous examples are, Neville brothers, Scholes, Beckham, Butt, Giggs and there are many more coming through even to this date.

The stadium that United play at is Old Trafford (which I have reviwed on this site, so take a look at that) which is one of the worlds most famous sporting venues. Holding over 76000 people, and normally sells out due to the clubs popularity.

Although the clubs pedigree and sucess is plain for all to see, apart from its massive fan base Manchester United finds itself as one of the worlds least popular club, especially recently. The club is viewed very negatively by a large amount of people, for example other managers, fans, players and mostly the press, we call them ABUs (anybody but Uniteds) as alot of people tend to seem more concered about Uniteds results and news rather than thier own clubs. Prime example are Man City or Liverpool fans that seem more pleased when United lose than when they win, and treat every United game as thier cup final, "small club mentality" to take a quote from Sir Alex. I think much of it stems from jealousy but I dont know why else.

I think this is the greatest club in the world and I love nothing more than a trip to Old Trafford or even to watch them on TV. My girlfriend is convinced I love United more than her and dont tell her but its a close call!!!

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BEYOND GREAT

Manchester United are the greatest team that have ever been created, it's sometimes amazing to find what other people support like liverpool hah they are heading nowhere fast. Manchester United football club is an amazing club with history behind its managers players and its had its triumphs and its had its failures it has lived through that terrible plane crash and has become even greater. For the people who love manchester untied as much as I do you know good they are and they have proved there strenghs countless amounts of times to all the opposing teams, continue supporting the club because supporting it makes it strong and outlive the tiny criticisms of sad chelsea supporters or arsenal supporters. Manchester untied always shocks and delights and for some to reject the team and to say they are a bad team it makes me wonder are they watching the same game I am watching or are they just delusional.

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Best team, in the world

I am a massive supporter of Manchester United. I have been since the first day I remember. Manchester United have become one of the best and most well known football clubs in the whole world. There trophy cabinet speaks for itself.

Manchester United are a english football club and there home stadium is called Old trafford and this is found in Greater Manchester. The club wasn't always called Manchester untied but use to be called Newton Heath. Recent estimates predict that Old trafford can hold about 96 000 people. THis figure is huge and is more then the new wembley stadium.

Man united have had some great moments in there history but one of the bestbest moments was when they won the treble in 1999. Sir Alex ferguson took them to the Champion league final and won, they also won the premier league and the fa cup that year. To do this was a great achievement for the club and will forever be remebered.

If you don't know about Man U that much then you must no about the horrific tragedy that happened about 40 years ago. A plane crashed while trying to take off in Munich and was carrying all of uniteds first team. Only a few survived including the manager of the Sir Matt busby.

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Manchester United

Manchester United are regarded asone of the best football teams in the world to date. Manchester united have the biggest world wide fanbase in the world making them one of the worlds most liked clubs. But fans of rival teams such as Manchester City and Liverpool think not they have a big rivalry and would never consider United as a big club these fans may be gelous of the trophy cabinet of Manchester United. Manchester United play at Old Trafford in Manchester they moved there for the 1910 the stadium holds around 76,000 people and stands the biggest premier league stadium. Manchester United started of named as Newton Heath when they were founded in 1878 they didnt become Manchester United until 1902 since then Manchester United have had 18 Premier League titles, 3 European cups, 11 FA Cups and 3 Carling cups. There most famous season being 1998/1999 season winning the treble which was the Premiership, FA cup and the biggest prize in European football the champions league. On the 6th of February dissastor struck as Manchester United were comming home from there European cup match against Red Star Belgrade. The plane which was carrying Manchester United players crashed killing 8 players including the captain at the time Roger Bryne. Two of the survivors that day were Sir Bobby Charlton and the manager at the time Sir Matt Busby. Manchester United fans remember that day every year last year was the 50th aniversary of the air crash. But only ten years later Manchester United became the first English club to win the European cup managed by the surviving manager Sir Matt Busby that day. Since then Manchester United has moved on the become a massive club just last season equalling Liverpool's tally of 18 league titles 11 of them under Sir Alex Ferguson the current Manchester United manager.

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Best club ever in the world!!

Manchester United nicknamed 'The Red-Devils' and currently the best team in the world as they won the Fifa World Cup 2008. Man Utd are on of the most supported clubs in the world with over 330 million supporters worldwide and that is around 5% of the worlds population. Manchester United play at Old Trafford which has a capacity of 76,212 and that is the biggest capacity in the Premier League! Man Utd are the current holders of The F.A premier League and The UEFA Champions League. Their owner is an American man called Malcolm Glazer and the Co-chairman two more Glazers who are Joel and Avram. man Utd's current manager is Sir Alex Ferguson who has managed Man Utd since 1986 and is still going strong! He has won Man Utd many trophies so many of each trophy a English club can win! Manchester Uniteds Home colours are red, white and black. Their Away kit is white with red and blue and their 3rd kit is all blue. Manchester United are currently top of the premier league, in the semi-finals of the FA cup and the Quarter Finals of the UEFA Champions League. I feel that Man United will win the treble this year.

Overall Man Utd are on of the richest and most successful clubs in the World. They are on of the most supported in the world aswel. So if you support Man United you must feel proud to support one of the best clubs in the world!!

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Sublime football, crying scousers

Manchester United. The two most reviled words in the English language. But why do people hate Man United so much? Because of their success? No, I don't think so. Even during Liverpool's heydays during the late 70's/early 80's United were still the most loathed team in football. Ironically, United's popularity is probably the reason for all the animosity directed at them. Even when they were in the second division in the 70's they had by far the largest fanbase of any team in Britain (and the world). There's also a certain glamour attached to Man United which I'm sure has piqued many rival supporters over the years.

I could go on and on about why I think United are so great, but this is Ciao. I'm supposed to use my opinion to inform the readers. So I'll leave my 'My teams better than yours! Nuh-Nuh, Ne-Nuh-Nuh!' rant until the end of the op.HISTORY

The club was founded in 1878 under their original name of Newton Heath LYR (Lancashire-Yorkshire Railways). Their nickname was the Heathens. The team originally played at a ground on North Road, near the railway yard where the players worked. The club eventually joined the football league in 1892, four years after it's conception. In 1893 the club moved grounds to a pitch on Bank Street in the Clayton District. The early years were a struggle, with the club nearly becoming extinct on several occasions. Eventually the club was saved from recievership by the managing director of Manchester Breweries, John Henry Davies, and three other local businessmen who each contributed £500. Davies was installed as club president and the club's name was changed to Manchester United. With this change, the club also adopted the now famous colours of Red shirts, White shorts and Black socks and the nickname changed to the Red Devils.The club won their first league championship in 1908 under the management of Ernest Mangnall and inspired by 'the Welsh Wizard' Billy Meredith, the first in a long line of legendary United wingers. They added to this the following year by beating Bristol City 1-0 to lift the FA Cup for the first time. During the middle of the 1909/1910 season the club moved to Old Trafford which at that time boasted a capacity of 100,000. They won another title in 1910/11 but suffered in the following years and were relegated to Division two. It took them four years to regain their place among the elite.

The club nearly went bankrupt in 1931 but was saved by a local businessman, James Gibson. It was Gibson who was ultimately responsible for bringing in Sir Matt Busby as manager in 1945. For the next quarter of a century Busby turned the club into a legend that was known across the globe. His first success came in 1948 when United won the FA Cup again, beating Blackpool 4-2 in the final. The league championship followed in 1951/52 and the first of the famous 'Busby Babes' began to appear on the scene. After gradually introducing these young players over a few years, their promise was finally fulfilled in 1956 when they won the league championship.

The following season saw Manchester United become the first English team to enter the European Cup, going against the FA's wishes. This first attempt took them to the semi finals where they lost to Real Madrid. They won the league yet again and almost took the FA Cup too, only losing out in the final 2-1 to Aston Villa.The following season 'The Babes' once again thrilled the European crowds with their exhilarating brand of football and looked set to go all the way. After beating Red Star Belgrade 5-4 on aggregate, tragedy was to strike.

On the 6th of February 1958, the saddest day in United's history and one of the blackest days in football happened. After emerging victorious against Red Star Belgrade, the team's plane landed at Munich airport to refuel. After two aborted take offs, the captain attempted a third. Unfortunately, this time the plane crashed, leaving 21 people dead, including seven of the players. Many more were seriously injured, imcluding Sir Matt who was put on the critical list. His chest was shattereed and his lungs were punctured, he twice received the last rites.With the team decimated and Sir Matt in critical condition it was left to his assistant, Jimmy Murphy, to take the reigns and steer the club from this crisis. With a team full of youth and reserve players, United embarked on a Cup run which took them all the way to the final. This last match was to prove too high a hurdle for them as they lost 2-0 to Bolton. Busby's recovery was sufficient that he was allowed to attend the game.

After the tragedy of Munich, Busby began to rebuild the team, but it wasn't until 1963 that they won another trophy, beating Leicester City 3-1 in the Cup. They regained the league title in 1965. The following year they reached the semi finals of the European Cup yet again, but were knocked out of the competition by FK Partizan Belgrade. They won another league title in 1967 but their greatest achievement yet was just around the corner.In May 1968, ten years after the Munich Disaster, United finally lifted the European Cup after beating Benfica in the final, becoming the first English club to win the competition and the second team in Britain (Celtic had won it the year before). This was the culmination of Sir Matt's dream and was won in the cavalier style that was blueprinted by the 'Busby Babes' and is the style that United have become synonymous with. Sir Matt retired the following season.

After Busby's retirement, United struggled for twenty years to regain their place at the top of the pile, the only trophies being Cup victories in 1977, 1983 and 1985.In 1986, a new manager arrived at Old Trafford, Alex Ferguson. Like Busby before him, Ferguson was a tough disciplinarian Scot with a belief in flamboyant, attacking football and the need for young players brought through the youth ranks. In fact one of Fergie's first signings was a schoolboy Ryan Giggs on his fourteenth birthday. Success was not immediate for Ferguson, his first four years being an uphill struggle but after this came unprecedented success as Ferguson's success eclipsed that of even Sir Matt Busby.

His first trophy came in 1990, when United lifted the Cup after beating Crystal Palace in a replay. The following year European football returned to Old Trafford as United won the European Cup Winners Cup by beating Barcelona 2-1 in the final at Rotterdam after a Mark Hughes winner, they followed this by winning the European Super Cup. The next year they won the league cup.In the 92/93 season, United won their first league title in 26 years, inspired by their new signing, the enigmatic Frenchman, Eric Cantona. This was followed by a league and cup double in 93/94, United becoming only the fourth team to complete this achievement. In 95/96 they topped this by becoming the first team to win two doubles. They followed this up with another league title in the 96/97 season. In the next season, Arsenal joined United as the only other team to win two doubles. The following season was to become the greatest that United had ever seen

In 1998/99 United won an unprecedented treble of League, Cup and European Cup, a feat never achieved before and never likely to be achieved again (Sorry, Brian. Mickey Mouse trebles don't count!). The most memorable aspect of the season was the team's refusal to be beaten even in the most precarious of circumstances. The team also scored an amazing 128 goals in 61 games.United have followed this success by adding league titles in 99/00 and 00/01. They are currently attempting to win the league title for the fourth successive season, a new record.

THE STADIUMOld Trafford is the largest football stadium in England with a capacity of 67,700. It is also known as 'The Theatre of Dreams'. This nickname was penned in the sixties and is a reference to the entertaining style that United played during their matches.

Originally opened in 1910 with a capacity of 80,000, Old Trafford has always been one of the largest and most lavish stadia in the country.In March 1941, the ground was destroyed by German Bombs. When the war ended in 1945 and football restarted, United had to share a ground with arch-rivals Manchester City until their return to Old Trafford on the 24th of August 1949.

Old Trafford also contains a club museum as well as two United 'Megastores'. There are also a memorial of the Munich disaster and a statue of Sir Matt Busby that was erected after his death in 1994.FAMOUS PAST PLAYERS

GEORGE BEST 'The Belfast Boy'Best is probably the greatest and certainly the most famous player in United's history. Making his debut as a 17 year old boy on the 14th September 1963. He quickly became a legend with his dazzling skills that left defenders flat footed and an eye for goal that made keepers wince. The first footballing pin-up, George was almost as famous for his off the field antics as on it, one of his favourite pastimes being bedding Miss Worlds! He played 466 games for United and scored 178 goals. He also appeared for Northern Ireland 37 times and scored 9 goals for them.

STEVE BRUCESteve bruce signed for United in 1987 and was the cornerstone of the United defence until he left in 1996. He captained the side throughout the early nineties in what was to be the start of United's most successful period in the clubs history. His leadership and determination endeared him to the fans and his partnership in the heart of the defence with Gary Pallister was to become United's leanest, conceding only 16 goals in an entire season at one point. He made 407 appearances and scored 51 goals for United.

ERIC CANTONAThe fan's hero and the man who finally delivered the championship after 26 fruitless years. The enigmatic Frenchman achieved a god-like status at Old Trafford and the fans still sing his song five years after he retired. He is the best foreigner ever to ply his trade in the English game. He became famous for his upturned collars and his peacock like strut around the pitch. Eric made 181 appearances for United and scored 80 goals. He also had 45 french caps and scored 19 goals for them

SIR BOBBY CHARLTONOne of the most famous footballers in the world, Bobby Charlton has won almost everything there is to win. One of the true gentlemen of football, Charlton will be most remembered for his fantastic goals as he became part of the famous triumverate of Best, Charlton and Law, dubbed 'The Holy Trinity'. He broke all sorts of records for United, including most appearances (752) and most goals (247). He also holds the England goalscoring record, getting 49 goals in 106 games.

PETER SCHMEICHELProbably the greatest goalie the world has ever seen, time and again 'The Great Dane' manage to save United from the brink and usually set up the winner at the other end. Famous for his mad forays into the opponents penalty area and his shouting at his teammates, Peter now plies his trade for Aston Villa, THE SNEAKY BASTARD!! He made 392 appearances for United and amazingly scored 1 goal (A record for a United keeper!)!

There are many famous players I could have mentioned, but my fingers are going numb from all of this typing. I'm not going to bother mentioning the current team neither (The buggers spoilt my accumulator on the weekend!), if you want to find out about these, try the sports section of your newspaper, they're always in it somewhere.WHY DO I LOVE MAN UNITED?

God knows. If my Dad had had his way, I'd be a Chelsea supporter (As if!), but thankfully my Uncle Jeff sat me down and got me to watch the '83 Cup final as a four year old and I was hooked. My early memories were of torment as Liverpool won everything, but my friends, revenge was sweet. Oddly enough all of my best mates are Liverpool supporters and come the end of the season I've no doubt they'll be avoiding me yet again..I hope this op hasn't been too long winded for you all. I just hope you appreciate the amount of research that went into this bohemoth!

Glory glory Man United, Glory Glory Man......

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Everyone should see them play at Old Trafford once in their life.

Manchester United, alongside Real Madrid are possibly the greatest, richest (in terms of turnover, not owner wealth) and most widely supported club in the world. The affinity with Manchester United began for most people over 50 back in the 1960s after the terrible Munich disaster occured. This put the club immediately in to the hearts of so many people, not just football fans, and the way they came back from the to win major trophies so soon is unbelievable. A 25 year gap occured without anything like major success, barring the odd FA Cup and League Cup win, until ASir Alex Ferguson finally got it right to win what was the first of so many Championships. Now a two time Champions League winner as well, Sir Alex has assembled his 4th great team and he will tell you his best ever. This year, the likes of Carrick, Evra and the young Jonny Evans have shone through and with players like Rooney, Ronaldo, Tevez, Ferdinand and Berbatov firing on all cylinders, don't be surprised if United win all 5 trophies this season, the 5th being the World Club Championship which they won in December 2008.

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Instead of just doing a generic review on Manchester United FC, that most people have done here, what I will do is a player by player analysis on the current first team and then make updates ever summer.

Van Der Sar: First chouce goalkeeper and getting on now, although still solid, however the small mistakes are starting to creep into his game, which is natural with age

Evra: Quality left back and one of the best in the world. Took time to settle into the team, but now playing fluent football

Ferdinand: Has everything to his game and in recent years has got very consistent and a quality defender.

Vidic: The perfect complement to Ferdinand and is a no nonsense defender. Always a serious threat in the box from corners.

Neville: Does not play many games due to injuries and age, but still first choice and excellent defensively. Prone to the odd error.

Giggs: Man United's most celebrated player and fan's favourite. Has 10 titles to his name and may add more as he winds his career down.

Scholes: In recent years has scored less goals, but still an awesome passer to the ball and can score the crucial goal, like against Barcelona in champions league semi finals last season.

Carrick: Also like Scholes, an excellent distributer of the ball, however more defensive and competes directly with Anderson and Hargreaves for a starting birth.

Ronaldo: Well not a lot to say here. The biggest player in the world and scored 40 goals last season from midfield to help United to the champions league and premireship titles.

Rooney: Has shown his goalscoring ability this season and only a scorer of great goals. However to be recognized widely needs to have a higher scoring ratio. Very good striker nonetheless.

Berbatov; Technically one of the finest striker and is a great complement for Rooney. Can knock down balls and also chip in with 20 odd goals a season.

If you do not agree or want to add anything, please comment

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utd in general

manchester utd are without a doubt the biggest club in the world. we get slated for buying players and apparently not bringing no body through are academy`s people seem to forget that when the young guns like paul scholes, nicky butt, gary neville and phil neville and david beckham come through the ranks we won the league with an average age of about 22 thats a seriosuli young age to win the league and arsenal use their youngsters every year as an excuse of why they arent winning trophies, utd did it so why try moan at us if we spend 30 million arsenal can do it they are jsut tight as .. also does anybody think fergie is out of order in his approach for berbatov ????? the player clearly stated he thinks he is bigger than tottenham.. and if urd are willing to buy him for 28 mill then whats the problem they paid 10.9 for huim they will have miore than doubled their money. Comment me an tell me what you think !!

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Football is eating itself..

90% of people who call themselves Manchester United 'fans' have never been to a United game, 75% of those living abroad. United claim to have over 400 million fans world-wide, a global brand that's even outgrowing the extremely lucrative Premieleague. So when the likes of Manchester United and Arsenal hinted at a Christmas break recently because their players were facing burn-out like the domestic fans wallets were, last years rather hypocritical announcement that the Premier League wanted to franchise games around the world and play even more competitive games in the year came as no surprise to hardcore fans. The average age of the pay on the gate Premier League fan goes up one year, every year, now 39. Dads can't afford to take the kids anymore and that is the death nell for English soccer in the long run. Football at the top level is eating itself and the current recession may break the game in half.

I think everyone new that if there was a Christmas break the big brand obsessed clubs would immediately plan lucrative friendlies to fill those holes, perhaps why all 20 clubs in principle agreed to this 39th game deal, no real surprise to anyone who follows the game closely, the continuous fire sale to foreign owners killing the games sole and survival chances. These foreign guys are beginning to call the shots now and Manchester United are the ones pulling the trigger for the end of the premiership. There's nothing wrong with each team playing a premier match abroad to promote the game in principal but the idea of a lottery to pick to see which international metropolis gets Wigan versus Reading is just not going to happen, and it's the big four that will be required to represent premierleague.com around the world. When Manchester United devalued the FA Cup to support the World Cup bid in 2004 they manged to field a decent shadow team on FA cup 3rd round Saturday to playa benefit match. Anyway, who cares where their matches are. Is that not where most United fans are?

As we saw with the Miami Dolphins game at Wembley last November this franchising does work financially and stadiums like Wembley will pay for the honor. The Dolphins fans were up in arms about playing the game there but as we know the fans opinions counts for nothing these days when big bucks are involved. This is about hard cash and that's when fans just don't exist. The problem will come here when one game becomes two and then soon you're playing five or six games around the world. They do it in domestic cricket when they hawk home games around the non-playing counties for a bigger gate, again without any consideration for the fans, my county, Northamptonshire, playing a couple of Twenty20 games in Milton Keynes a few years back.

If there's more money to be made from the Manchester Devils versus the Liverpool Giants in Hong Kong then that's what's going to happen. But when you have pre-sold Old Trafford season tickets you have to be careful here. I suppose by adding just one game on rather than the current 38 suggest then that won't be an issue-yet. Make no mistake guys, this is not publicity a stunt and they are testing the water for the next stage of the extremely lucrative Premier League. The World League! I say if it aint broke then why fix it.

Although the Glazers have stacked the club with debt I dont think any new owner will do it any different so i dont understand why the protests, especially as United have just won a hatrick of premierships with the Glazers. What does these fans want! Its great news for the City that Manchester City are now competative and there are more challengers to Uniteds crown other than Chelsea.

It is noticeable that since the leagues conception in 1990 and all the money being sucked out of the game at the top of the pile on high wages and agents fees a record number of lower league clubs have gone bust in the last 17 years, Portsmouth AFC the latest to face being wound up. The clubs really are being pulled further and further apart in so many ways. The final word on 'PLAN 39 should go to Michelle Platinni, the head of U.E.F.A., who roughly quoted: look You have no English manager for the national team; you have no English players in your league and soon you will have no English games". For once I agree with Platini.

Munich...

The Manchester Devils versus the Liverpool Giants aside, last year at Old Trafford the Munich disaster was commemorated. Just like the Munich Olympics disaster shaped the new Israeli state it was the crash at that small Munich airfield in 1958 that's shaped Manchester United Football Club as they are today. A memorial clock outside of Old Trafford has the hands permanently stuck on 3:07; the moment the plane skidded of a slushy runway and into two houses killing 23 on board, including seven players, all the encouragement the players will ever need to play for the shirt. That legend is why Manchester United are the world's biggest club today because 50 years ago the world took them to their hearts in sympathy. Like the Jewish nation have quite rightfully defined themslves by the Holocaust to remind people of their struggle, United have always defined themselves from that crash in Germany and their resilience to rise again, be it Sir Alex in the dressing room ranting them out to that surprise premiership title last year or the fan loyalty that has earned United full stadiums over the years. It's no surprise that since that crash Manchester United have had the best average crowds of all when they have been in the top league, briefly dropping out in the early seventies for one season, probably the second most traumatic experience to Munich, but still bigger crowds than any 1st Division side. Those who know say that 1950s team would have dominated the decade and United may well have won the two of three European Cups. The fact they took thirty years to retain their status as the supreme club by wining the premiership and then Champions league again it shows how rare the sides are that United had in the 50s.

I was disappointed that some fan organizations at Man City requested the minutes silence at that comemeration game to be one of those ghastly minutes applause, fearing a few fans would shout out and boo in the silence. If I was a City fan I would be fuming at that suggestion as I don't think any City fan would have disrupted the minutes silence for the 5oth anniversary, as it was Manchester people who died that days as much as it was United players. As expected the City fans were respectful and went on to earn their first double over United in 37 years in 2008 with an excellent and well deserved 2-1 win. The last time City scored two to win at Old Trafford was the Denis Law game when the ex-United striker sent them down playing for city.

-The Current Team-

United miss Ronaldo and his free-kicks and I can't recall a better hitter in the Premiership since Beckham, although for the all-time kicks, Roberto Carlos's was the best for me. Ronaldo running in to strike a dead-ball is like a fast bowler approaching the crease, Christianos' foot wrapping around the ball like a seam bowlers fingers gripping the seam, able to swing it either way with the right amount of 'cut' to hit the stumps, Ronaldo treating the post like the batsmen bat, trying to beat the edge. It was just a beautiful thing to see as the ball popped up and over the wall, moving left then right, before finding the mathematically perfect axis of the top corner. Jimmy White would be proud of that amount of backspin and masse` swerve! But, I suppose, without fleecing the fans for all they are worth you can't afford to have talent like this in the English league for much longer. One reasonRonaldo went to Madrid was to avoid his 40% tax here.

Another star performer for United was Tévez , of course, his industrious style similar to Rooney, making quite a few keepers pick one out of the onion bag when they weren't expecting it, such are the angles the Argentina can strike a ball from.. Tévez is a real 'sniffer' of the ball like Beardsley was and was United`s best signing since Ronaldo. Having a face like a bulldog chewing on wasp helps, too, as he really can concentrate on his game and not the cameras. There's no better forward in the premiership today that can get so tight on a defender in and around the 18 yard box and yet still give and take rapid passes to feet, his one-twos a devastating weapon in the premiership, but sadly for Citys benefit now..

The midfield isn't settled yet with Carrick unfairly sidelined to accommodate Park in that contested holding role and with Scholes back and Anderson playing some great stuff it could cause ructions next season. It should be adieus for the likes of Park Je-sung and the useless Darren Fletcher for me but no sign of that. I always felt Park had a lot of energy but no real end product and was only ever a stock gap to shift shirts in South East Asia to make his transfer money back. That was certainly the case with Uniteds Chinese striker Dong Fangzhuo and it was also the case with Manucho, Sir Alex Ferguson's last African signing, previous ones in Quentin Fortune and the hopeless Djemab-Djemba, not exactly encouraging. Some of the older fans are saying Djemba was a worse signing for United than Ralph Milne! Now that is saying something. Reports are good from the timely Africa Nations Cup on the striker, including a typical African style top corner lash, Uniteds shirt sales in the African zone maybe not the driver here. To pay whatever million they did for him, sending him off to play Greek football because he hasn't got a work permit isn't very encouraging.

Gigg's seems to go on forever and surely hold the record for domestic medals for many years to come. Ryan passed the appearance record of Sir Bobby Charlton's club record this season of 759 games (Bobby also the top scorer with 249 goals), and with 'Scholesy' in forth place, perhaps testament to the loyalty Sir Alex Ferguson demands from his players. It's also nice to see Gary Neville almost back to fitness, he sitting in fifth in the all-time appearance list. Sir Bobby looked frail in the season and early onset Parkinson's a possibility, the way he shakes and slurs in public now.

I still think Rio Ferdinand is over-rated internationally and Woodgate would make a much better England centre back if fit. Rio, like many players Alex bought in, seemed to be suspiciously over valued at the time and I think one day soon Alex is going to be bought down by a whistleblower for some of Uniteds 'iffy' practices over transfers. Alex's stubborn streak, succinctly demonstrated over the refusal to talk to the BBC after the Panorama exposure of his agent sons 'alleged' dodgytransfer dealings, will be his comeuppance. Fergusson's strength is his longevity, like Sir Matt Busby a 24 year long spell as boss, that long run meaning continuity and trophies at United. Incredibly, United have had only seven managers since the war. Most clubs have that many a decade in the modern game.

I think United will win the Champions League if Ronaldo stays fit and Rooney energetic.Uniteds three defeats this year in the premiership have been when those two have been absent. It is noticeable that Alex is playing them in more games this year. Ronaldo hasn't really exploded in Europe yet but he goes into next week's quarter-finals in the right world beating frame of mind and it could be spectacular stuff. Lyon are very beatable, a Roma style performance enough to devastate any team in Europe on their day, and it may be them who get it.The treble is still very much on and United must be favorite for the title for the above reasons. I think its Chelsea, and not Arsenal, who will pose the biggest threat on the rail as Lampard and Drogba return in what looks like is going to be a very very tight finish, maybe a blue shirt dipping to break the tape. Having to beat Arsenal in the F.A Cup is probably Uniteds toughest task this month.

-Links-

Supporters' organizations

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A good season that can be improved upon next season hopefully

Manchester United Football Club have become one of the most successful and well known teams in world football in recent years but it hasn't always been like that. The club was first created in 1878 and was originally called Newton Heath LYR FC. The clubs success is only second to Liverpool in England. The club are based in Trafford, Greater Manchester and The Stadium is called Old Trafford. Man Utd are world famous and have over 50 million supporters from all over the world. They have won the league title 16 times, most recently in the 2006/07 season, the FA Cup a record 11 times and the League Cup 2 times. The club has also won the European Champions League 2 times and the old UEFA Cup Winners Cup 1 time as well as winning the Intercontinental Cup and the European Super Cup once each. As you can see they have won a lot of trophies, well 34 overall which makes the club very successful. As well as being successful on the pitch the team is als o successful off it as they are the fourth richest club in the world.

Premier LeagueThe season has gone well for Man Utd because they had not won the won a league title for a couple of seasons due to Chelsea. But this season they excelled, the club added a few new additions to the squad, most namely Michael Carrick who has performed excellently all season and after costing £18 million from Tottenham Hotspur. The real reason for Man Utd's success of wiinning the league this season has been their great form up in the North. Their was one particularly special win away at Liverpool when John O'Shea scored an injury time goal to win the match 1-0. The club beat every side in the Northern part of the country twice, they did struggle a bit more against Southern times especially away from home but they only lost a handful of games. Chelsea played Man Utd twice and on both occasions the matches ended in draws showing that the clubs are on an equal level currently despite Chelsea spending in excess of £500 million in the last couple of years.

FA CupThe club played well in the cup facing premiership opponents in every round and managing to beat them all. Man Utd beat Middlesborough after a replay, Reading after a replay, Watford, Portsmouth and Aston Villa on the way to the final before losing to Chelsea in extra time in the FA Cup final. The club may have been annoyed after Ryan Giggs put the ball over the line without the referee noticing. This would have put the Red Devils 1-0 up and would have left Chelsea struggling to come back.

Champions LeagueEver since winning the cup in 1999 the club have been pining for this trophy, it's the one they would like to win more than any. Man Utd made it through the group stage quite easily before having a tricky tie against Lille in the last 16. They then faced Roma, a tricky Italian side who were doing well in their league. The first leg was won by Roma after Paul Scholes got sent off and Roma won it 2-1, their was major trouble in the ground as well where United and the Italian police clashed. Then the second leg was amazing, United 4-0 up at half time unbelievably, one of the best performances I have ever seen a team produce, the match ended up 7-1 and the tie was 8-3 on aggregate to Man Utd. An absolutely stunning performance that embarrassed Roma and one that left the rest of Europe shocked. This set up a tie with eventual winners AC Milan. Originally Man Utd went 1-0 up with a Dida own goal, but the brilliant Kaka scored two excellent goals for Milan to give them 2 vital away goals before half time. The teams came out after half time and United looked much better, they equalised after a stunning Paul Scholes pass and Rooney added the winner in injury time to set up a great second leg. United only needed a draw in Milan but it was always going to be tough as key defenders Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic were missing. The side went 1-0 down early on and never really recovered and ended up losing 3-0, the sides worst defeat of the season. Although dissapointing to be knocked out this was Man Utd best performance in the champions league for a few years and hopefully things are looking good for the future.

Special Mentions

Cristiano RonaldoThis boy has turned from a good player into one of worlds best, he has won several medals and trophies for his performances on the pitch and he finished 2nd top scorer in the premier league despite playing in midfield. he also created several goals with many assists.

Paul ScholesThis player has really shown his experience this year and he still scores great long range goals and his passing is just immense.

Nemanja VidicNemanja came over a couple of years ago and he has really settled into English football this year and it is good to see. He is a commanding presence at the back and knowone gets past him, he has become one of the best defenders in the premiership and has a great partnership with Rio Ferdinand.

Wayne RooneyHe has scored some unbelievable goals for United especially the one against Portsmouth and the one against Milan. His link up play is excellent and he somes to be maturing as a football player.

Sir Alex FergusonThis guy has been the manager for 20 years, he is still doing a great job and he still has the hunger to win trophies which can only be good for the club. He has helped United to win everything in club football and he is still wanting to do so. He still has his great ability to bring young players through and he believes in the time. I hope he stays a few more years till he can't manage anymore.

The 2006/07 season has been very successful for Man Utd and the club has shown they are a force to be reckoned with again. They are after every trophy they can get there hands. The side is still young and there should be much more success to come. Of course the football is always exciting when you watch Man Utd play and I will be hoping to see some even better performances next season and a few more trophies for the side. The Glazers seem to be handling the club well, they don't interfere with team selection and they have provided money for the club when they have needed it. The new arranged signing of Owen Hargreaves should also please Man Utd fans, he will be coming in the summer for £17 million. Hopefully next season will be more successful than last year and I hope Hargreaves settles in straight away and helps to strengthen the midfield.

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Manchester United Football Club are a world-famous English football club, based at the Old Trafford stadium in Trafford, Greater Manchester, and are one of the most popular sports clubs in the world, with over 50 million supporters worldwide. Manchester United are one of the most successful clubs in the world and are second only to Liverpool F.C. in terms of trophies won by an English club. They have won the Premier League/Football League 15 times, FA Cup 11 times (an English record), the League Cup twice, the European Cup/UEFA Champions League twice, the UEFA Cup Winners Cup once, the Intercontinental Cup once, and the European Super Cup once. The club has had the highest average attendance in English football for the past 34 seasons, with the exception of 1987-89 during redevelopment at Old Trafford. Among European clubs, they have been perennial revenue leaders for the late 1990s and early 2000s, they are still the fourth richest (in terms of revenue) in the world.